A large number of occupations use a rag, cloth, towel, or similar device (hereinafter, collectively, “towel”) to wash, wipe, buff, or otherwise clean something. Window washers, dish washers, car washers, waiters and bus boys, house cleaners, and others will frequently and repeatedly use a towel during the performance of their job. However, they do not need to constantly hold the towel; it is often necessary for their hands to be free of the towel much of the time. Therefore, workers will often use makeshift or sloppy solutions to carry their towels when not using them. Some workers will simply throw the towel over their shoulder. This of course can cause the shoulder of their shirt to become dirty or can allow the towel to drop to the floor where it will pick up additional dirt and debris that will then be passed to the object being cleaned. Others will stuff the towel in their pocket. This, too, leads to dirtying of the clothing and the possibility for a dropped rag. Some might loop the towel through their belt. This is not advantageous because it can be time-consuming to both apply and remove the towel from the belt, and usually requires them to move their eyes from their work to their towel and belt.
As an example, window washers who work low and high on the outside of buildings use a variety of tools in the performance of their jobs. They alternate between using squeegees, scrubbing brushes, poles, towels, buckets, carabiners, and other tools. Often times they store many of these tools in a belt-mounted holster, or in a bucket on the floor next to them. This requires them to access their belt or bucket each time they switch tools. At height, it can be dangerous to repeatedly have to look down to your bucket to find a tool.
Towels, in particular, demand additional concern and attention for several reasons. First, because of their light weight, a worker must position and store a towel carefully to prevent the wind from lifting it away. Thus, the towel must generally be secured, either by stuffing it, fastening it, or weighting it down under something. Second, when a towel is stuffed, fastened, or weighed down, retrieving the towel can pose a hazard to the worker if some deal of upward force is required to lift it. Such force can throw the worker off balance and cause him to fall, creating an especially dangerous situation when the worker is working at height. Third, towels are often dropped stories below, and the worker has to obtain a new one, either by sifting through a bag, or, unpleasantly, descending to pick up the dropped towel or towels. For all of these reasons and more, an improved way to hold a towel is needed.